Hikage no Inu
by Catrine M. Silverwolf
Summary: The twin children of Kagome and Inu-Yasha take their parents places in feudal Japan--guarding the shikon, fighting naraku, and finding themselves in danger after danger
1. Memories of the Inu, Part I

Konnichiwa! My name is Kagomaru, I'm almost sixteen, and I'm a fairly normal high-school student most of the time. My twin brother Inu-Yaruu and I attend classes whenever we're home, and manage to get passing grades, every once in a while. Mom understands- she did the same thing when she was our age. See, the reason we miss so much school is because we are the protectors of the Shikon no Tama, and spend a lot of time in the feudal age, trying to keep the Youkai there under control. Glacia Vulpes, an ice- fox Youkai, helps us whenever she can get time transport from her second cousin, and we have friends from the feudal age, too.  
  
I guess it's a pretty strange lifestyle to keep up, but our parents did it in their time, and we will in ours. It actually seems normal to us, now, though its only been a year. I guess we get used to strange things easily. After all- we grew up with a father that never aged much and had dog-ears. Oh, and if he ever got Mom mad at him, she would just yell "sit," which activated an old spell on him, and knocked him down. I tried, but it didn't listen to me, so I was usually hit a couple times before Mom got there. It was no big deal, though; he would never really hurt me, and I got to hitting him back pretty quick.  
  
Still, my brother and I considered our family, if not normal, then at least close to normal, until we turned thirteen. Then, for our birthday, Mom and Dad told us about how the old dry-well goes back through time to the feudal age, where Dad is actually from, and how they spent their younger days gathering shards to reconstruct the Shikon no Tama- a bead of incredible power, especially for Youkai- and battling evil beings, like Naraku. I was given the Shikon no Tama, and my brother was given Dad's sword, Tetssaiga. He couldn't transform it, but Dad insisted that he would get the hang of it eventually. Then, to make the day even better, they took us through the well, to the feudal age.  
  
We spent the day there, meeting their old friends, Sango and Miroku, Shippo, and old, old Kaede-baba. After dinner, Yaruu and I went outside to hang out, while the grown-ups talked inside. That was when the Youkai attacked.  
  
It was a huge snake, that reared up out of the grass, and went straight for the old stump we had put our stuff on, including Dad's sword and the Shikon no Tama. Remembering how important Mom had told us it was, Yaruu beat the snake to the stump, and grabbed the bead, then ran for the house. I followed after, but because I was in a skirt, I couldn't go very quickly. I had just reached the stump when my brother tripped, and I could see that the snake would catch up to him. All I could think about was protecting him, saving him somehow.  
  
So, I grabbed Tetssaiga out of its sheath, and tore a slit in my skirt so I could go faster, and ran to catch up. As I ran, the Tetssaiga started vibrating, pulsing. I saw it transform, out of the corner of my eye, and I could feel it giving me strength. Before I knew it, I was alongside my brother, as he tripped again, in his haste and fear. Turning, the snake's head filled my vision as it rushed in for the kill. Then, with one swing of Father's sword, it was all over, and my brother and I were staring at our first dead Youkai, as it fell headless to the ground.  
  
The adults must have heard us, because Mom and Dad came running, and the others were watching from the house. They calmed us down, and we told them what had happened. As we walked back to the house, the Tetssaiga still in my hands, I had to ask my brother, "Is it alright, if I keep Tetssaiga? You can have the Shikon." I don't know why it was suddenly so important, but I wanted that sword, more than anything. Sure, the tales about the Shikon's power intrigued me, and I would love to use it, but Mom had strictly told us not to. She said that it would corrupt us, turn us evil, and what good was it, if we could use it?  
  
"You would give up the Shikon for a sword; even Dad's?" Yaruu was shocked, and I nodded confidently.  
  
"To you, for this sword." He looked to Mom and Dad, and Mom laughed.  
  
"Looks like we got your presents switched!" And that was that. The Tetssaiga was mine, and it didn't leave my side once until school started, and even then I picked it up as soon as I got home. We took regular trips to the feudal age, sometimes with and sometimes without Mom, though Dad always came. He made it clear that we were never to go alone, not even if we promised to stay with Sango and Miroku on the other side.  
  
Then, just a few weeks after school started, things changed forever. We were in the other time, and Shippo was showing us around "his" woods. He was a fox Youkai, though he wasn't evil, like most Youkai were. Suddenly, when we were about a half-mile away from the dry-well, he smelled something, and insisted that we hurry back. We wanted to see the rest of the woods, but he was really worried, so we ran back as fast as we could. When we got there, we saw Dad fighting a really fast cat Youkai, and the others being held by other cats. All of the Youkai were humanoid, but with cat ears and tails and paws. Suddenly, several more showed up, seemingly out of nowhere.  
  
Two ran to help their comrade against Dad, and the rest, sensing the Shikon, ran for my brother. He had a staff, and I figured that he could hold one off for at least a while, which left three more to deal with. Drawing Tetssaiga, I cut one off from the group, Shippo took two more. They were fast, but greatly underestimated us, so I was able to defeat the one I had taken on. Shippo sent his to fleeing for the woods, terrified of some illusion he had set behind them. Brother knocked his unconscious, and we turned to see how father was doing, and froze.  
  
Three had been too many; though he brought them down, it had cost him everything. One had been wearing a spell that, activated by his death, made certain that his opponent was dead as well by latching onto their soul, and dragging it with them. Mom was kneeling over him, weeping, trying vainly with Kaeda to resurrect him. Yaruu and I were in shock- this couldn't be real. Father had been immortal in our eyes- he couldn't really be dead. But he was.  
  
We didn't go back, not for over a year. It hurt me to even look at Tetssaiga, so I hid it under my mattress, and vowed to never touch it again. Convinced that the cats had shown up because the Shikon had been brought back to that time, he hid it also, somewhere. Mom never talked about Dad, or the other time, or anything, though she stared off into space a lot, so I think she thought about them. I remember how, for the longest time, I kept thinking that none of it had happened, that one morning I would wake up from that horrible dream, and Dad would laugh at me for being worried, and we would fight again, and Yaruu and I would take him on at once, trying to pin him, and Mom would come to split us up, and blame Dad for everything no matter who had started it.  
  
But that never happened, and Yaruu and I were always really quiet. Sometimes, I would walk into the room, and see that he had unburied the Shikon, and was staring at it. I think he wanted to use it, to bring Dad back or make him strong enough to not miss him anymore. Seeing him look at it like that made me so angry; I don't know why. Maybe because I wanted to use it for those things, too. Half of the time, I would stalk out of the room, and sit under the god tree, and stew for hours. The other half of the time, I would grab it from him, and throw it at the mirror as hard as I could, shattering our reflection, and then go stew under the tree.  
  
We all kind-of revolved around that tree, though I didn't realize it then. Brother spent a lot of time up in the branches, and I at the base, always on opposite sides from each other. Mom would go out, when she thought we weren't watching, and would just stare at that weird bare spot, where no bark grew. She cried a lot, looking at it; I don't know why. It probably had something to do with Dad.  
  
At school, we were both pretty well outcastes. I hated wearing my uniform- short skirts bothered me, so I would wear my brother's slacks, claiming that all of my uniforms were in the wash. Neither of us paid much attention in class, only barely making the next grade. The summer passed, one long, boring, painful expanse of sleepless nights, and days spent on the couch. Mom tried to get us to do something, anything, but didn't much succeed. School started again, and was even worse. There was this new girl, from another town. She never paid attention, or did her homework, but she managed to ace every test. She was quiet and rude- like Yaruu and I- and skipped the uniform on occasion- like I did- yet everyone thought she was really "cool." She didn't feel quite right, like the Youkai in the feudal age.  
  
Worst of all, she looked like Dad. The hair, the bored expression. I could never look at her directly, because I didn't know whether I would punch her or start crying. I would rather punch her, but I wasn't sure I could. Not the way she sat there, never doing anything.  
  
Then, one day, the teacher got fed up with her. "Laotenn Tsorra, if you do not put away that drawing and pay attention, I will send you home!" She looked up, bored, then went back to drawing. "That's it- I am sick and tired of your attitude! You are the laziest, most disrespectful, worthless student I have ever had the displeasure of teaching."  
  
Tsorra's eyes flashed, and she stood, her movements slow and deliberate. When she spoke, her voice was chillingly cruel and calculating. "Teaching? You have taught me nothing. I know all of this, and far more than you ever will. The only reason I am here is because my mother is a stinking human- lover, and wants me to learn how to deal with you people, but I am through. I can defeat her, and I doubt that my father will intervene on her behalf. You humans make me sick. You hear that? Sick." She had put her hands on her desk, and was leaning on them, arms locked. From where they touched, and spreading outwards, frost gathered like lace across the surface. I glanced to my brother, who nodded. It seemed our time had Youkai, also.  
  
Everyone stared at her in silence as the ice continued to spread and thicken, and people shifted uneasily as it neared them, finally standing and backing away to avoid getting frozen in when it reached them. Even I grudgingly gave way to her ice, wondering what she was up to. Forcing myself to look at her in the face, I saw that her face was twisted in hatred and disgust in a way my father's never could be, and I knew that he would never stand to watch someone treating people this way. Her eyes were glazed over a pure, icy blue, and when she blinked, and ice shattered with a loud CRACK.  
  
Then, the ice began to levitate, and the air stirred with the tiniest imaginable snowflakes, stirring our hair and chilling our skin. "I'm calling security," the teacher muttered, beginning to come out of shock, and turned for the phone.  
  
"Don't move," Tsorra commanded, and the teacher turned back to look. She had been rotating pieces in the air, and I saw that each had its sharpest point facing the teacher. She was going to kill him.  
  
The moment the pieces started moving, rushing through the air towards him, I lunged for her, just as my brother lunged to knock the teacher out of harm's way. My punch landed her squarely in the face before she could do anything about it, distracting her so she couldn't change the ice's aim, to attack the teacher now lying prone on the ground, my brother beside, looking up at where the ice was now imbedded in the chalk board. "You have a problem with humans, Youkai, you can take it up with me. I am the daughter of Inu-Yasha, and I follow him in protecting them."  
  
"Inu-Yasha? That damn foolish Hanyou? I've heard of him, and you can't scare me with his name."  
  
I had already been angry, but now I was irate. My every muscle tensed, and my hand twitched, longing for the Tetssaiga. "You will pay for those words," I whispered murderously, nearly growling.  
  
"You think you can defeat me?" she growled back, lifting one hand before her, then yanking it back, pulling the ice from the board, and guiding it into a circle around us.  
  
"I know I can. What do you say we take this outside?"  
  
"Why? So I can't do this?" As she spoke, she glanced to one of the students standing by the wall, watching us, and one shard obediently darted for their throat. Thankfully, my brother was there, and knocked it out of the air.  
  
"No, we just prefer the fresh air." Even I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. Tsorra laughed, making me shiver.  
  
"Hey, I'll give you a chance. How about we meet tonight, at sunset, out in the open somewhere. Bring any weapon you want, same goes for your henchman over there, I'll take on both of you." She was so haughty, so certain of victory. I snorted, cracking a half-smile.  
  
"Fine then; sunset at, say, Higeme Park?" She nodded, smiling slyly. "Be sure to make any final arrangements; you won't be leaving."  
  
"No- you're the one who won't make it out. See'ya then, Meat." She turned and walked out of the door with a disinterested wave.  
  
"She is so dead," I muttered.  
  
"Definitely, and you are not going to do it by yourself."  
  
"Why the Hell not?"  
  
"I want a piece of that Bitch, too," he insisted, as if it was obvious. It occurred to me that we had hardly spoken since Father died. He lowered his voice. "No one speaks that way about Dad."  
  
"No one," I agreed, then realized that everyone was still standing around, frightened, staring at the ice shards where they had fallen when Tsorra left, and staring at my brother and I. "Do we have to get back to geometry, or can we go to lunch early?"  
  
"Go to lunch early," the teacher muttered, and I hooted, thrusting a fist into the air. Yaruu cracked a grin, and I smiled back at him. Somehow, things were looking up.  
  
Finally, school was out, and I raced Yaruu home. Mom saw us coming in the gate, and came out to meet us. "What's finally gotten your spirits up?" she asked, smiling at our light mood. I was about to tell her about our appointment with Tsorra, but Yaruu thought better.  
  
"I dunno," he laughed naturally. "Just a good day." Mom smiled, and glanced over at the tree for only a moment before going inside. My eyes met Yaruu's, and I nodded to him; it was a good idea for Mom not to know. We walked up to our room together, and I retrieved Tetssaiga from its hiding place.  
  
"It has been a long time my friend; I'm sorry." I drew it smoothly, and looked at its rusty blade, then reached with my mind for that little. thing. that made it transform. It switched forms as smoothly as ever, and I sat on the bed with it in my lap, and began polishing it, though it didn't really need it. In my peripheral vision, I saw Yaruu digging through a desk drawer, and drawing out the Shikon. "So that's where you hid it."  
  
"Yup. I figure I should have it with me, you know?" I agreed. "I wish I had some kind of weapon."  
  
I thought a moment. "How about a staff? You've used them before."  
  
"Yeah, that sounds good. But. where will we get one?"  
  
I frowned- he had to bring up the practical problem. Suddenly, it occurred to me. "We make one! Off to the hardware store!" He laughed, and I sheathed Tetssaiga, slipping it back under the mattress so Mom wouldn't become suspicious. We ran downstairs together, and told Mom that we were going out to meet some friends of ours.  
  
"Alright; be home by dinner."  
  
"Sure, Mom." I kissed her on the cheek then headed out, and Yaruu followed suit. Then, just a ways out of the gate, I realized something. "Wait! Money?" Yaruu thought a moment.  
  
"Okay, store's not an option. Hmm. who do we know who." he snapped his fingers. "Grandpa! If there are any old fighting staffs lying around; he would know."  
  
"Grandpa?" I snorted. "Any he would point us to would break. You remember that weather charm he gave us a few years ago?"  
  
"And we tried to make it stop raining, and it just rained harder? I know, but. you never know. We might get lucky, and I'll be sure to test it before sunset."  
  
"Alright, lets go. To the nursing home." I was obviously much less excited about that than a trip to the hardware store. I guess I've always been a tomboy.  
  
*********************************  
  
Kagome pulled herself out of the old well, and began walking towards the village, careful to avoid the god tree, where she had first met Inu-Yasha. *No, don't think about that; don't think about him. You have to get over it eventually.*  
  
Nearing the house, Shippo ran out to meet her. He looked about twenty now, maybe closer to twenty-five, though Kagome knew he was actually much older. More time had passed here than on the other side for some reason, as the kids had been growing up. "Kagome, you're back!" She smiled, and hugged him, and Sango, who had followed at a slower pace.  
  
"Good to see you again. What brought you back?"  
  
Kagome sighed. "I don't know; maybe its silly, but I'm worried about my kids."  
  
"Oh? Come on, tell us all about it." Sango and Shippo walked her back into the house, where Kaede lay on a mat, still holding on, and Miroku stirred a pot of stew.  
  
"Ah- Kagome, you've returned. The twins with you?"  
  
"No, but they're the reason I came. I'm worried."  
  
"Tell us," Miroku commanded, and Kagome smiled at how similar he and Sango had become, or perhaps always were.  
  
"Well, ever since. last year. they've been really quiet. They hardly ever spoke, even to each other, or maybe especially not to each other, or to me. Kagomaru would sulk, and Inu-Yaruu would just zone out, staring into space. I never saw them laugh, or really smile, and they never went out and did anything, other than school. At school they never put in any effort, barely scraping by."  
  
Miroku nodded, "It's hard, losing a father." Kagome recalled that the monk had lost his own father, when he was young.  
  
"I know, and I understand that. What worries me is that suddenly, today, it was like this past year never happened. They ran home, laughing, smiling. They went up to their room, and talked for a while, then went out to meet some friends. They even kissed me goodbye." Kagome laughed as she brushed away a tear. "It seems like forever since they've done that. It's wonderful that they're feeling better, but."  
  
"It's so sudden," Sango finished for her. "That does seem strange." They all sat for a while, thinking, then Kaede spoke.  
  
"They are His children," she reminded them, "and he was one to change moods quickly. Quite likely, they found themselves a fight, worked their problems out that way." She sighed. "I just hope they don't get themselves into trouble."  
  
Kagome frowned. "Do you think that I should call their teacher; ask if there were any problems at school?"  
  
"No, no," Kaede advised. "They're too old to watch every moment, and I'm sure they can hold their own, especially together. Tell me, though, does the boy have a weapon yet?"  
  
*********************************  
  
"Well, no luck there, just a long talk about how peaceful the family has been for generations," Yaruu's excitement had been deflated, and I could sense him sinking back into hopelessness. No way was I going to let that happen, not after I had just gotten him back, just come back myself.  
  
"He obviously went blind before meeting father; peaceful isn't the best adverb for him." We both laughed.  
  
"You mean adjective, by the way," he corrected, lightheartedly.  
  
"Yeah, something like that. Come on, it's almost dinner. We'll find something for you afterwards." He agreed, and we began to jog from the nursing home back to our house, at the shrine. Partway there, we ran into a few of our classmates.  
  
"Um. hi, Kagomaru, Inu-Yaruu," one of them spoke up.  
  
"Yeah, uh. hi," another added.  
  
"So, uh. nice work, in class, you know?"  
  
"Yeah. Good luck, tonight."  
  
"Yeah, good luck."  
  
I tried not to be bothered by their hasty retreat. "Well, they seemed pretty afraid of us, considering we saved their butts back there."  
  
"It's to be expected, I suppose. Still, I hope it wears off." I nodded. I'm not one of those people that considers popularity hugely important, but I don't want my classmates afraid to speak to me. "Then again, it could have advantages." I looked at him to explain. "If we ever run out of lunch money, I don't think we'll have much trouble getting any."  
  
"Yaruu!" I scolded, grinning. "Mom would be ashamed of you!"  
  
"And you're proud, I suppose?" He seemed highly amused, but then, so was I.  
  
"Of course. I can see you now- walking up to some kid in the hall, getting up in their face, demanding that they buy you a salad." We chuckled.  
  
"And thanking them gracefully afterwards, of course. I wouldn't want to." he trailed off as he looked towards the house, and I followed his gaze. Mom was facing at least ten angry-looking adults. Simultaneously, we began sprinting towards the house. "Mom!" The small crowd turned at his call, and parted suspiciously.  
  
"What's going on?" I asked Mom quietly, seeing her angry tears, now that I was close, but it was the crowd that answered.  
  
"We don't want you little freaks going to school with our children," one yelled, and the others agreed. I stared, aghast. 


	2. Memories of the Inu, Part II

"We don't want you little freaks going to school with our children," one yelled, and the others agreed. I stared, aghast.  
  
"I am sorry if you don't like us, but if we hadn't been there, that Youkai would have killed the teacher, and most likely the rest of the class as well. Maybe even the whole school- who knows how far she would have gone?" Yaruu crossed his arms, standing up to the parents boldly, placing himself between them and our mom. I followed his example readily, outraged that they would act this way.  
  
"If you need someone to take your anger out on, or--more likely--to team up against to relieve your fear, you're free to deface the Youkai's grave once we're done with her tonight."  
  
"Drop your act; we know you're really her allies." What? "You only saved that teacher to keep your friend out of trouble with the law. There won't be any fight tonight, and you'll come right back, spying on our children for the other Youkai."  
  
"Why the hell would we do that?" I demanded. "For one thing, we're not Youkai, why would we help them? For another, why would Youkai or the allies of Youkai worry about the law when they could just kill any policeman that tried to arrest them? For yet another, why would we betray the name of our father to turn against the humans he worked so hard to protect? You may not know it, but if it wasn't for him, most of you probably wouldn't be here today."  
  
"Why would he help us; why would any of you? He was a Youkai, just like the one you're putting the blame on."  
  
Yaruu answered that one. "You people have no idea what you're talking about. Father was a Hanyou, the son of a Youkai but not like them. He was tormented by Youkai and humans growing up, but decided to protect humans because it was the right thing to do. If you people would stop and think for a moment, you would see that we aren't a danger to you!"  
  
"So long as you do not endanger our family; we would never even think of harming any of you, or your kids."  
  
"As I told you," Mom added, having recomposed herself, "They are responsible, respectable young adults. Now please; our dinner is getting cold."  
  
"We'll let them go for now, but one more thing happens, and we will petition to have them removed from the school district." The crowd dispersed, and Mom sighed deeply.  
  
"I'm sorry," I murmured, truly upset by the confrontation. "We should have told you, but. we didn't want you to worry."  
  
"I understand," she replied, wiping her eyes, "and I am proud of you for standing against the Youkai even though it didn't win you any admiration from your peers."  
  
I smiled, and she ushered us inside. "I heard something about a fight tonight- you should eat well, so you'll be ready."  
  
"Thanks, Mom," Yaruu told her, and she hugged him.  
  
"You two remind me so much of your Father." Something seemed strange about the way she said that, and then I realized- she had mentioned Dad with a smile!  
  
"Biggest compliment I've ever gotten," I told her, and she laughed with me.  
  
"Oh, Yaruu, I have something for you. Something for each of you, actually." As we turned into the kitchen, we saw a long bundle on the table. "That's yours," she told Yaruu, and he went up to it curiously. "I'll go get Kagomaru's." I watched as Yaruu unwound the cloth on his surprise, then turned grinning to me when it revealed Miroku's staff. Mom walked back into the room, a brown cardboard box in hand. "The old monk insisted that he didn't need it anymore."  
  
"When?" Yaruu asked, curious.  
  
"I went to visit them while you were out today; your sudden change of mood disturbed me." I laughed. "Here; I think you should have this."  
  
I set the box on the table, and pulled off the lid. The red cloth brought an image of my father to mind instantly, and pulling it out, its identity was confirmed. "Dad's coat," I murmured softly, holding it reverently.  
  
"It's made from the fire rat's fur; you'll find it better than any armor. I thought it might prove useful in your battle tonight." I thanked her, and hugged her, tears threatening to form, and Yaruu did the same. Putting on the coat, I found myself surrounded by Dad's scent, and warmth. He never hugged me often, but the times he did were so precious, I remembered everything, and this is what they felt like. I looked over at a mirror, and smiled. "As I thought- it looks good on you. Now hurry and eat, the sun will be setting before too long."  
  
We reached Higeme Park right on time, the sky ablaze with red and orange clouds. The air was warm, and the air was cool, and the park was deserted. We found a nice open area, and sat down to wait. It seemed like forever before our opponent showed, though it was most likely only a short while, for the sun hadn't sank much lower. I actually heard her well before I saw her, apparently she had a tag-along.  
  
"I told you, I don't need your help!"  
  
"I don't care, and I won't be helping you- I'm just coming to watch!"  
  
"Why the Hell do you need to watch? I'm just killing a couple of almost- human brats."  
  
"You mean being killed by, and I have every reason to want to watch that."  
  
I smiled- it sounded like we had a supporter. The two came into sight, and the family resemblance was obvious. They were about the same age, had similar features- though the other one's were kinder- and the same icy-blue eyes, and the same white hair that looked like Dad's. Tsorra must have been disguised at school- she now had clear, icy-looking fox ears and tail, and long, ice claws on her fingers. The other, whom was most likely a sister, or perhaps cousin, had the same, though her tail and ears were a tiny bit more opaque. She had slightly darker blue face markings, also- dots and triangles under her eyes, as opposed to her sister's row of stars along her cheekbones. Strangely enough, in addition to their ice-ears, they also had elf-ears.  
  
"It seems we have a spectator, I assume you don't mind," Tsorra muttered, disinterestedly, though she shot a dark glare at the other girl. "My cousin is obviously convinced that I'm a weakling, like her father."  
  
"Well, shall we find out if she's correct?" I stood, and drew Tetssaiga. Tsorra raised an eyebrow at it in bored disbelief.  
  
"I let you pick whatever weapon you want, and you bring that rusted thing?"  
  
I snorted. "This is the Tetssaiga, the blade that will put you in your grave." I transformed it with a flourish, and smirked at her.  
  
"Well, at least it gains a little substance. Fang. a strange name for a sword."  
  
"Or perhaps not- it was, after all, made from the very fang of my grandfather. Shall I demonstrate it's bite?"  
  
"First, I'm curious as to that. contraption. your brother has come up with."  
  
Yoruu smiled. "Miroku's staff." Tsorra waited for an explanation, then, not receiving one, gave up.  
  
"Whatever; let's go." She rushed at me with surprising speed, coming out of a stand-still, but I had fought enough Youkai on the other side of the well to have expected it. I leapt aside just in time, swinging my blade around. She avoided it, and turned to slash at me, but I had already jumped skyward, and came down behind her. Before she had time to process the fact that I was back there, I had cut a deep gash in her back.  
  
She cursed loudly, and turned on me. I was put on the defensive, but that was fine. I was managing to keep her from inflicting anything more than scratches, and I had pissed her off enough that she forgot that she had invited Yaruu. He came up behind her, quickly and quietly, and ripped the staff's sharp ring-blade across the back of her neck, between two vertebrae. Quickly, I buried Tetssaiga in her chest, and her eyes flickered, loosing strength. As she sank to the ground, she grasped my hand, and I pulled away quickly at the sudden cold. Forgetting the creature now dead at my feet, I stared as my hand started shaking, and turning a sickly pale. The chill crept through my arm, and I panicked.  
  
Finally, I managed to force words out of my mouth. "Cut it off, Yaruu! Quick just. cut it off!!" He stared at me, then prepared to do as I commanded.  
  
"Wait, I'll get it," the spectator called, running over. She grasped my arm, and I was about to protest- I didn't trust her to only take off my arm. Then, I realized that she wasn't planning on amputating. As quickly as it had spread, the chill now dissipated. "There- it might be a little stiff, but you'll be okay."  
  
"Thanks. but, why?" She shrugged, and looked down at her fallen relative.  
  
"Her side of the family exiled my family, because my father was defeated by your father. They thought that he was weak for being defeated by a hanyou. I wanted to be the one to tell them their precious little prodigy was defeated by a half-hanyou; I figure I owe you a favor."  
  
"You aren't angry about our fathers?" Yaruu was confused, as was I. I knew I would never react to a cat Youkai objectionably.  
  
"He started the fight, he lost the fight, he paid the price. If your father had acted dishonorably, that would have been different, but every fight is a risk. He knew that, when he went into it." I mulled that over, as I retrieved the Tetssaiga from Tsorra's body, and sheathed it.  
  
"I like that outlook, and you're right. I don't think that it would have bothered me as much, if those cats brought him down with skill, but. one had a spell that was activated upon their death, to take their opponent with them. It wasn't their strength, it was treachery." Yaruu nodded his agreement, and he wiped the blood from his staff.  
  
"Inu-Yasha is fallen?" Yaruu nodded. "My condolences."  
  
"Thank you. I am Kagomaru," I introduced myself, extending a hand. She took it with a smile.  
  
"And I am V. Well, Glacia Vulpes, but that's a mouthful, so V is just fine."  
  
"I am Inu-Yaruu, though you may leave of the 'Inu,' if you like." They shook, and I turned to look at the sun. It was just sinking beneath the horizon.  
  
"We should do something about her, before we go. We don't need a police investigation on our hands."  
  
"That's okay, I'll get it. Her family will want proof of defeat," She looked down at it with a sigh, "though I'm not looking forward to carrying it all that way."  
  
"Don't you think it will look just a little suspicious? Walking down the street with a body?" In answer, she touched it with a foot, and white, opaque ice quickly began to form around it, so that in a matter of moments, it looked like a very strange statue.  
  
"Isn't modern sculpture odd?" Yaruu quipped, and we all laughed a little. "Though it feels strange, joking about a dead classmate." That sobered me a little.  
  
"Or a dead cousin." That sobered me even more. "Oh well; she's not actually my cousin anymore anyways- the family outcast us. My mom, my little sibs, and I. So yeah, not my cousin." It sounded kind-of like she was trying to convince herself as much as to convince us. "Well, I'd probably start off with this." With that, she lifted it easily.  
  
"Isn't it heavy?" Yaruu was stunned, but I had a feeling I was onto her.  
  
"It's also ice," I told him. "Her cousin could levitate shards, why can't she at least partially levitate that?"  
  
"You discovered my secret," V lamented with mock sincerity, letting go completely- it stayed in place. "She couldn't lift anything this heavy, but no matter what her family thought of her, she was never as strong as me. Couldn't even freeze the water in the air without great concentration; even devoting all her energy to that, it was really slow, and she could never manipulate more than seventy-five separate shards at once." I remembered how little time it took her to cover the classroom floor with ice, and wondered how quickly V could have done it. Besides that, seventy-five shards was definitely impressive to me- how many could V do?  
  
Yaruu asked for me, and I could have laughed at how similarly our minds worked. V considered a moment. "Well, I can put an inch on a basketball court in five to twenty seconds, depending on humidity, and I've gotten up to. one hundred and sixty. four shards. No, one hundred and sixty seven, I got three more the last time I was working out. I can't do as much crazy stuff with that many as I can with fifty, of course, or as much with fifty as I can with ten, but I can get that many flying around in circles, or shoot 'em at numerous targets."  
  
"Yaruu, remind me to never get her mad at us." Both Yaruu and V laughed. "Still, its going to look pretty odd for a young-looking girl to be carrying this big 'statue' around at night. Help her carry it."  
  
"Why me?" I glanced at him, surprised. Suddenly, he realized how rude he had sounded. "I mean- I don't mind, but."  
  
"I get your drift. Thing is, people expect boys to be stronger, so it would look more natural for you to be helping." He nodded his understanding, and V set it up so that it looked as if he was bearing most of the weight. "Okay; lets head out."  
  
"Right. We're off to the North Towers Apartment complex."  
  
*********************************  
  
Kagome looked out the window, for the fifth time that minute alone. She knew that battles could last a while, and that they may have other things to deal with afterwards. Inu-Yasha would disappear for days at a time to fight someone, but. he had a lot more experience than these two did. Sure, they were strong, she didn't doubt that. And there were two of them, working together. And they really hadn't been gone very long. Still, there was no denying it; she was worried.  
  
The phone rang, and she must have jumped a mile high. Reaching out to answer it, she saw her hand shaking. She took a deep breath to steady herself, and answered it. "Hello?"  
  
"Hello; is this Kagomaru and Inu-Yaruu's mother?"  
  
Kagome tried to keep her voice steady. "It is; may I help you?"  
  
"Yes, I am their geometry teacher. I assume that you've heard about today's events?"  
  
*Not this again, not this again.* she repeated to herself, as she answered, "I have."  
  
"Thank you." Kagome froze, confused. "Thank you for teaching your children to protect others, thank you for teaching them right and wrong, thank you for not listening to those parents- I've heard they were giving you trouble. Tell me, have the twins returned yet?"  
  
"Not yet." She tried to sound optimistic.  
  
"Well, I'm sure you're anxious then, so I'll let you go. If they have to stay home from school tomorrow, though, will you please let me know that they're alright?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Thank you; good-night."  
  
"Goodnight." Just as Kagome hung up the phone, she heard the gate swing shut, and looked out the window to see three shapes in the dark. Let's see. that short white hair had to be her son, and the red coat was definitely Inu-Yasha's, making its bearer Kagomaru. But who was the third? It was a Youkai, she could tell that easily, but didn't seem evil- she didn't carry any Jaki with her aura.  
  
*********************************  
  
"Mom; we're back!" Yaruu called, nearing the house.  
  
"And we're bigger than a breadbox!" I don't know where I had picked up the line, but it had been our tradition for years. It would let her know we were okay.  
  
She appeared in the doorway, holding it open for us, but V hesitated at the thresh-hold. "Its okay; the spell only keeps out uninvited Youkai," Mom assured her, and she stepped through. She seemed a little surprised when nothing happened.  
  
"I'm confused, but that's all right--I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that there's spells just lying around here. Mom, this is Glacia Vulpes; V, this is our mom, Kagome."  
  
"Good to meet you, ma'am; I hope I'm not disrupting your evening."  
  
"Of course not. Before anything else, though--are either of you hurt?"  
  
"Nope. I got a little freezer-burnt, but V took care of it. That Tsorra was way too overconfident to do any damage." Mom looked at me a moment, then grabbed my arm and pushed the sleeve up. "Hey! I said I'm fine," I reminded her.  
  
"Your father also claimed to be fine after every fight, and that wasn't always the case." She sighed. "You have scratches all up and down your arm, and they don't look like they'll heal well with all that residue."  
  
"Residue?" I was confused, but V seemed to get it.  
  
"Strange, I hadn't thought she had gotten anything to crystallize. Sorry about that." Then, she simply waved her hand over my arm, and the scratches became darker in color, a small amount of liquid oozing from each one. "There; they should heal clean now. Other arm?"  
  
Once I was cleared, Mom had to check over Yaruu before consenting that we had come out okay. "Next time, I'm sending a cell phone with you, so you can call the moment the fight's over." I rolled my eyes. "Yasha Kagomaru, don't you dare roll your eyes at me; Inu-Yaru, stop snickering. Now go sit down and tell me exactly what happened." She listened with interest, then looked at the clock. "So- will you be going to school tomorrow?"  
  
I stared a few moments, blinking. "You're. asking?" She nodded. "No way!"  
  
"And you, Yaruu?"  
  
"Um. no thanks."  
  
"Right, then. Off to bed, and I don't expect to see you until lunch tomorrow. Vulpes, you are more than welcome to stay the night."  
  
"Thank you, Ma'am." The three of us went upstairs, and gathered in the bedroom I shared with Yaruu. We actually had two separate rooms at one time, but when we were younger we had. well, consolidated. Mom had been furious when she came up and found the dividing wall demolished; Dad couldn't have been prouder. I think his exact words were, "Not many five- year-olds can take out a wall like that."  
  
"You can use my bed," I told V, "I prefer sleeping in my nest anyhow."  
  
"Your nest?" I grinned, and gestured behind the small section of wall still standing in the corner. Peeking around, V gaped at the large pile of old rags, stuffed animals, and furs of various origin. "Well- I'm impressed."  
  
"Thank you," I replied, bowing. Placing my hands on the wall, I pushed myself up and over, flopping into the pile. Tetssaiga was next to me, and the crescent moon shone in through the window. It was a beautiful night.  
  
"Mind if I put a little ice on it? I'll defrost it tomorrow morning."  
  
"Go ahead. Yaruu, want to get the lights?"  
  
"Sure." Yaruu picked up a marble off the windowsill between the beds, and threw it at the light-switch, triggering it. "Good night."  
  
"Good night," I murmured, settling into my soft nest.  
  
"Good night," V laughed.  
  
As night surrounded us, I felt like we three were a team; like fate had led us together and was never going to tear us apart. For the first time since Father died, I felt like my life was whole, and had meaning. "We should visit Shippo and the others tomorrow," I muttered.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
*********************************  
  
Before too long, the sun's rays began finding their way through the window into my eyes, and I opened them, squinting. I had sunk through the pile of cloth (and et cetera) during the course of the night, and awoke confused. Why was I in my nest and not my bed, why was Tetssaiga lying next to me, and what was that other presence in the room? Slowly, I remembered the previous day, and that we were excused from school, and that we were going to go through the well today.  
  
Yawning, I stretched out, and crawled out of the next. Glancing over at the beds, I saw that I was the first awake--Yaruu was tangled in a strange arrangement of blankets, and V was literally frozen to the bed. I walked over to the window quietly, and looked out. Then, I gasped. Next to the god tree, just far enough away that the new tree would have room to grow, a sapling had emerged from the dirt. "Brother! Brother!" I hissed quietly, shaking him. He awoke groggily, and I pointed him out the window. "Look!"  
  
He grinned. "Let's go tell Mom." I nodded, and we headed downstairs. We found her in the kitchen, cooking. "Hey, Mom!"  
  
"Good morning. Or should I say afternoon- It's nearly twelve."  
  
"Well, you did tell us to sleep in. Hey, did you see the sproutling?" From her look, she hadn't, so we ushered her outside. "See? It's not very big yet, but it's a little god tree, I can tell!" Mom smiled down at it.  
  
"It sure is. We planted that back when you two were born; I guess it's finally decided to sprout." I grinned, and looked down at it. "Now come in, before anyone sees you skipping school."  
  
V was just coming downstairs as we came in, and I flashed her a smile. "Good morning."  
  
"Good morning. What's up?"  
  
"Not much. If Mom doesn't mind, Yaruu and I will probably go visit some friends in another time, later today."  
  
"You can time travel?" V jumped the last few steps, doing a summersault and landing on her feet. She had dropped her human disguise, and her rather translucent tail trailed behind her. "Cool!"  
  
"Well, it's not really anything we do. The old dry-well can send people from our family to the feudal age and back, so long as the Shikon no Tama is with them, or on the side they're coming from."  
  
V's eyes lit up. "The Shikon no Tama? I knew your family always used to protect it, but it's still around?" Yaruu proudly pulled the neck of his shirt down to reveal the shining bead, then settled it back into place. V whistled. "Certainly glad neither of you are evil; the world would be in serious trouble."  
  
"Same to you. Over a hundred separate pieces of ice. I can't even imagine being able to have so much command over an element like that."  
  
"Yeah, but it's not that big of a deal. My second cousin on my Mom's side, now there's talent. He can send things, or even people, back and forth in time." She laughed. "Maybe I can meet you over there sometime."  
  
"That would be awesome!" I chuckled. "We could be a regular time-traveling, crime-fighting force."  
  
"TTCFF?" Yaruu laughed.  
  
"Protecting the weak, whenever they are," V explained, and we all collapsed into a fit of giggles.  
  
"Well, whenever you three are ready for lunch, you're free to eat before heading out to fight crime," Mom chided us from the kitchen, and we laughed all the way to the table. "Seriously, though, I want you to be careful over there. Stick together, stay close to the village, don't get into too many unnecessary battles, you get the picture, right?"  
  
"Yes, Mom," Yaruu and I answered in unison.  
  
"Good. When will you be back?" I looked to Yaruu, who thought a moment.  
  
"Well, its Friday, so we can go hang there for a few days, be back Sunday evening, not miss any more school." Mom agreed, and after eating, we headed out. I grabbed Tetssaiga, and Yaruu grabbed Miroku's staff. V ran off to convince her second cousin, Tempus Vulpes, to send her through time, and my brother and I leapt through the well alone for the first time. We met up under the god tree, in the woods by the village, and set out. That's pretty much what's set the pattern for this past year. Sometimes we make it back for school, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we stay with Shippo, sometimes we go off alone. Sometimes we find an evil-doer to set right, sometimes not.  
  
Of course, now everything had to go and change again. 


	3. The Yatarra Twins, and the new moon's se...

As I said, it was about a year after we started the ttcff. The name--time- traveling crime fighting force--was mostly an inside joke. We put an end to any miss-doings we happened to come across, but generally we just explored, or hung out with Shippo, or with Sango and Miroku. V was pretty much a part of the family, and she had a deal with her second-cousin that he would give her time transport in return for home-cooked food. Sometimes we got home in time for school, sometimes we didn't. Occasionally, one of us came home injured. Things were pretty well routine.  
  
I think we are fated to never hold a routine for longer than one year.  
  
We met V out by the god tree, like usual, and took a moment to discuss our plans. It was V's turn to carry the back-pack, and since she was stronger than us (being a Youkai), she could carry a lot more than usual without trouble. We were dressed to blend in with the times, and my brother and I were well armed, so we decided to go exploring, after checking in with our friends in the village. Turning that direction, though, we quickly realized that something was wrong. "I smell smoke; a lot of it," V murmured, worried. "We should hurry."  
  
"Right." At my agreement, the three of us started sprinting towards the village. I guess I had become the group leader, though it was very unofficial. "V, you're faster than the two of us. Go ahead and see what's wrong." She nodded, and increased her speed, disappearing through the trees.  
  
Soon, though, we could hear her calling us. "Kagomaru, Inu-Yaruu, hurry, and be ready for battle!" We rushed through the woods as fast as we could, and I drew Tetssaiga, transforming it. Bursting out into the open, we faltered a moment at the destruction that lay before us.  
  
The village was burning, and its occupants struggled to save themselves and each other. The smoke was blotting out the sky; soon, it would be dark. Sango, Miroku, and most of the village men were battling a large band of samurai; Kaede and the others who were too old or too young to fight were clustered in the center of the village, protected by Shippo and his fox- fire. I caught sight of V running to help him, and I gestured to the thickest area of battle. "Up for it, Bro?" He nodded, and we began running again.  
  
Our force in the fray gave heart to the villagers, and we were able to quickly turn the tables. Then, I saw a dark figure, watching the battle from a hill. From the red glow of their eyes, and the strange feeling I was getting, they were a Youkai, and a strong one. "Yaruu!" He glanced my way, while continuing the fight. "Can you hold?" He nodded, and I detached myself from the battle, and ran for the figure. "Who are you? Identify yourself!"  
  
The figure chuckled, and lifted one hand. In it's palm, a small fire grew, illuminating it. It was a male, with green-hued skin, bluish purple hair, horns, and two sets of wings. "I am Yatarra-Oh," he stated, confident in his superiority. "My twin and I are the last remnants of the one called Naraku." I stepped back at the mention of Naraku, shocked. He had been the worst enemy of our father for a long time. While I was distracted, Yatarra- Oh leapt skywards, and threw the fire down at me. I put my sleeve over my eyes, confident that it could repel such a small fire.  
  
I hadn't counted on an explosion.  
  
**********************************  
  
Glacia Vulpes had finally put out the last of the fires, and looked around for the people she knew. Sango and Miroku were helping the wounded, and Shippo was moving from child to child, calming them. "Where are Inu-Yaruu and Kagomaru?" she asked a man passing by, carrying a body to where graves were being prepared. He gestured to the North side of the village, then continued walking. Running that way, V finally caught sight of Yaruu, kneeling over his sister. "There you are! What happened?"  
  
"I don't know. She's out cold, and her face and hands are a little crispy. Help me carry her." They got her down to the center of the village just as she began to come to, and set down as she opened her eyes. "Sister, are you all right?"  
  
**********************************  
  
I groaned, grimacing as I sat up. "Yeah, but I think I got a little sunburnt. I don't suppose you got the bastard?"  
  
"Who?" Yaruu and V answered in unison.  
  
"Called himself Yatarra-Oh." I looked to Yaruu. "We've got a pair of Naraku detachments on our hands."  
  
"There's two pieces of Naraku left?" Miroku had come up behind me, making me jump. It hurt.  
  
"Shit," Yaruu muttered, and I knew he was thinking about all the stories about Naraku that Dad had used to scare us with at night. "I hope Dad was exaggerating."  
  
"Hard to think of something to exaggerate about," Miroku told us, looking at his right hand, remembering. That validated that story. "You look burnt. One manipulates fire?"  
  
"At least one, who knows what the other is like." I put a hand to my forehead, wincing at the contact of touchy skin to touchy skin. "Hey, V- I don't suppose you could cool me down a little, could ya?"  
  
She laughed. "I suppose I could. it just depends on whether you want to stay healthy or not." She picked a stick up off the ground, and quickly coated it with ice to demonstrate her point. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the thing, pressing it to my forehead to demonstrate mine. "Sure, here." She took an extra shirt out of her backpack, and froze it. "Don't overdo it, or you'll catch a cold, or pneumonia, or something."  
  
I laughed. "And then Yaruu would mix up some of Dad's vile medicine to replace my cold with nausea."  
  
"Its not that bad," he insisted, then added, "considering that it completely cures you in just six to eight hours." He stretched. "Well, I'd better go around, make sure everyone else is alright. Can't waste the whole day waiting on you."  
  
"Aw, hush." I stood up, and resheathed Tetssaiga- somehow, I had kept a hold of it through everything, though its transformation had been reversed. "You don't need to wait on me for anything, and you know that quite well."  
  
"You are just like Dad," Yaruu chided me, shaking his head. "Well, if we are heading out right away, we should at least bandage those, so they don't get infected."  
  
"And go around looking like a leper? Yeah right! Seriously, I'll be fine by tomorrow morning; you know how I heal."  
  
Yaruu sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Well, I'll go let Shippo know where we're off to." He paused a moment. "And where are we off to?"  
  
I looked back at where the Naraku clone had been. "Ask him if they've heard about any other nearby villages have been burned recently; I want to track that nasty down."  
  
"Right, I'll go ask."  
  
After he had gone, V approached me. "Um, this may sound rather odd, but while Yaruu was fighting, I saw a shape on his hand, like a crescent moon, with all these weird designs in it. Then, when we were bringing you down here, I saw the same thing on you, though it was fading fast, and I'm pretty sure I've seen them on you before, when you're fighting. Do you know what they were?"  
  
I shook my head. "No idea. Where did you say they were?"  
  
"Right there." She pointed to the back of my right hand. Inspecting it, I could see nothing out of the ordinary, but I didn't doubt what V had said. After all--what was one more oddity now? "It's probably no big deal, but."  
  
"Yeah; strange. Maybe we should go ask Kaede about it." She nodded, and I went to find the old woman. Yaruu found me first.  
  
"Hey, Kaede-baba called me over, said she needed to talk to us before taking off after Naraku remnants." I nodded, and he led V and me over to her.  
  
"Give me your right hands." We obeyed, and she took hold of them, and began chanting. Slowly, the marks V had told me about appeared, and when she finally released us, they were plain as day. "They were put there to seal in your transformations, to keep you from becoming too dangerous, before you could learn self-control. I think that you are as ready now as you will ever be."  
  
"Our. transformations?" Yaruu and I looked at each other, then back to Kaede.  
  
"Just as your father became human one night a month, so you will become Hanyou once a month. His was one the new moon, I don't know when yours will be. Those will wash off now, releasing the transformations." We nodded, and stood to go. "Be careful, and check in often. Don't make an old woman worry about you!"  
  
"All right, Kaede. We'll talk to you soon." Waving goodbye to her and the others, we started down the path. I couldn't help but notice how Yaruu kept staring at the mark. I looked down at mine, also, wondering. "Think there are any streams nearby? I'm curious as Hell to see what will happen."  
  
Yaruu chuckled. "I'm still trying to fathom you as a Hanyou."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" He shrugged, so I tackled him. Of course, he beat me easy, seeing as how my exposed skin was touchy, but by the time we were done, the sky had cleared a little, and V had located a small stream. The marks washed off easily, like Kaede had said, but I felt a little sad seeing it go. "They were pretty. We should get them tattooed on sometime, just minus the magical power stuff."  
  
"Yeah, they were pretty cool." Yaruu lifted his hand, now clean of the mark. "What moon rises tonight?"  
  
I thought a moment. "The new moon, I think."  
  
"I'm just trying to figure out what you two will be like as Hanyou. I mean. you're hardly weaklings as it is. Your father was certainly strong enough as a Hanyou. You could probably conquer Japan when you transform!"  
  
I laughed. "Or just spend the whole time trying to beat each other up, to see who's stronger."  
  
"That's more likely. I just wish we could have transformed while Dad was around."  
  
"Yeah, then maybe the two of us could beat him without Mom's help for once. So--did Shippo know of any leads on that Yatarra-Oh character?"  
  
"There's a village up this way that was mysteriously burnt down a day or two ago, he said to check here."  
  
We reached the village. well, the charred batch of ground that supposedly used to be a village. about a half-hour before sunset. A scattering of crows and various other birds were pecking at the ground, and every now and then a bone or piece of metal stuck out of the ash. I didn't quite realize how thick and somber the air was until V spoke. "Well this is desolate."  
  
Yaruu looked up at the sky . "Yeah. Crap."  
  
"Yeah." Gathering my courage, I stepped onto the charred area.  
  
Well, I tried. There was some kind of barrier in the way. "I was wondering why it stopped so suddenly," Yaruu muttered, and I growled, rubbing my nose.  
  
"Gee thanks for commenting sooner." I put out a hand, feeling the barrier, then tried punching it. Nothing.  
  
"Try the Tetssaiga- remember Dad telling us about the hundred bat demons, and the whole barrier deal?" I drew Tetssaiga, and whispered to it in my head. *Come on, Aibou, work with me.* I leapt, swinging Tetssaiga as hard as I could against the barrier. As I swung, I saw the blade of the Tetssaiga turning red, and when it hit, the barrier shattered.  
  
I turned, grinning, to Yaruu, who gave me a thumbs-up. Then, I walked slowly across the ash, looking for any clue. "Hello? Hello! If you can hear me, you bastard, get out here!" Suddenly, I saw a flash of movement. A green-hued, four-winged figure rose up out of the ash, and stretched.  
  
"Ah, I was wondering when you would arrive. What is your name, child?" The voice was definitely feminine, and seemed to purr. She looked basically the same as her brother, only with more red-tinted purple hair.  
  
"I am Yasha Kagomaru; you are Yatarra-Oh's sister?" I spat the Youkai's name with disdain.  
  
"I am," she chuckled. "I am called Yatarra-Ah. I am to be your death, Kagomaru. You will pay for what your father did to my father, as it were."  
  
"Feh. In your dreams, maybe." I lifted Tetssaiga to the ready. "In reality, I think you will find things quite different."  
  
"Do you even know how to use Tetssaiga? Can you use Bakkuryu, or even the Kaze no Kizu?" She paused for an answer, but I didn't have one, so I just growled. "I thought not. Those felines took care of things quite nicely for us, don't you think?"  
  
"You were responsible for that?" I spat onto the ashes. "That figures." Suddenly, I sprang forward, swinging the Tetssaiga. I wasn't fast enough, though--Yatarra-Ah sprang out of the way, the sweep of her wings stirring up ash, blinding me. Before I could recover, several small balls of fire ran into me, one after another, knocking me down, leaving me prone to attack. V, however, saw the danger, and quickly built a layer of ice above me as a shield. My eyes were clear by then, and I lay in wait for Yatarra- Ah to reappear. Yaruu ran to join me, and we stood back-to-back.  
  
"We should've known Naraku would have something to do with Father's murder," I snarled, memories of his death surfacing in my mind.  
  
"Yeah. That name just refuses to die."  
  
Something landed on top of the ice, and shortly after, I felt a drop of water on my shoulder. It was melting. I squeezed Yaruu's wrist, an old code telling him 'On the count of three.' Then, I tapped Once. Twice. Thrice. Simultaneously, we ran out from under the ice, then spun around to face our enemy. V dropped the ice, but Yatarra-Ah went skyward again. "Get the fuck down here and fight, Bitch!" I yelled, but she just laughed.  
  
"Such a mouth! Where did you learn to talk like that?"  
  
"Shut the Hell up; you know very well where I heard that language! I watched Dad fight a time or two before you had him killed." The Youkai laughed.  
  
"Brother- you made it; how wonderful!" Yatarra-Ah purred happily, and I glanced around to see Yatarra-Oh landing at the edge of the ashes. Yaruu dashed across the ash, and joined me, back-to-back again. Since we were in grade school, Dad had taught us to work together in battle, just in case.  
  
"Where is V?" I whispered.  
  
"She's lurking in the woods, over there," he replied quietly, and I followed his gaze to the forest nearby. "She'll intervene if we need it, let them forget about her until then." I nodded- it was a good plan.  
  
No such luck, though. "Brother Oh, won't you go find the little ice creature? I'll keep these two here until she's taken care of." Damn.  
  
"Figures; Naraku was known for being tricky," Yaruu muttered, and I gasped, snapping my fingers.  
  
"That's what seemed wrong about how she was fighting; it was too straightforward!"  
  
"That was straightforward?"  
  
"Well, she hopped around, but still. There is something behind this, I know there is. Naraku never fought fair." I thought, trying to figure out their trick. Looking upwards, I saw Yatarra looking back down at me. *What are you up to?* Taking a glance around for anything I might be missing, I noticed that the sun was quite close to sinking. "The sun's almost down; think anything'll happen?"  
  
"I don't know. You think they're plotting something to do with that?"  
  
"How should I know? I'm no evil genius."  
  
"That's what ttcff needs- a genius."  
  
"Little late now." I watched the sky apprehensively, until Yatarra-Oh finally reappeared.  
  
"That took longer than expected; I've been sitting up here bored! The little ducklings didn't even make things interesting," Ah complained.  
  
"It's not my fault the bitch was so damn stubborn- I swear, she simply refused to die." Something about Oh seemed. odd. Then I realized- people in this time had slightly different accents, slightly different dialects. Yatarra-Oh was talking like someone from our time.  
  
"Yaruu."  
  
"I know," he whispered back. "I just hope Ah doesn't figure things out."  
  
"Or that the real one shows back up." He nodded. "In any case, once the sun sets, hopefully we'll be in the clear." From my estimate, we had five minutes to go.  
  
The two Youkai- Yatarra-Ah and V (posing as Yatarra-Oh)- landed in the ash before me. Yaruu made to stand beside me, but I clasped his hand for a moment, signaling him to be steady. After all, Ah could make use of those wings at any time, appearing behind us quicker than we could turn, especially with us having to be conscious of each other. "If you two would wait a short while longer," Ah purred, then suddenly rounded on her "brother." She knew.  
  
V jumped back, reverting to her normal appearance. Her eyes were glazed over red, and she crouched in a feral position, brandishing her icicle claws, and snarling. She bore several large wounds, and looked like some kind of mutated dog-fight veteran, of the literal canine variety. Ah chuckled, and V forced herself to stand tall, and her pure red eyes gradually changed to light, icy blue. "What's happening?" Yaruu whispered.  
  
"V's about to kick butt." I glanced at the sun. "I'd say we have three minutes until the sun's down."  
  
"Whether or not that means anything; we'll find out." He sounded doubtful, but I was confident. I felt. I dunno. Strong.  
  
"I think it will." I turned my attention back to V and Yatarra-Ah. The latter Youkai was being assailed by ice-laden winds, trying vainly to form a fire-missile, or to reach her opponent with her dangerous-looking claws. V was standing calmly, with strict posture and a blank expression- a complete contrast to her earlier disposition. The icy wind stirred her hair, which seemed almost more blue than white, and her blue-glazed eyes flashed in the dying light. Then, Yaruu spoke again, making me jump.  
  
"Oh's on his way, and I wouldn't say he looks pleased." I quickly looked over our shoulders and back, catching sight of little more than a ball of fire with green inside of it.  
  
"Well crap."  
  
"You know, you have developed quite the dirty mouth lately." I furrowed my brow in surprise. Since when was this an appropriate time to discuss my language choice?  
  
Yatarra-Oh landed behind V, who was apparently too absorbed to notice him. My turn. "Hey, lizard-face! I'm your opponent now!" I drew Tetssaiga, and rushed him, definitely moving faster than usual. It also occurred to me that my skin didn't hurt any more. Oh dodged, and counter-attacked, but I intercepted that, and soon we were moving to quickly for me to keep track of what I was doing anymore. Finally, we broke apart, staring at each other across the desolate ash. "Sun's almost down," I muttered to myself, consoling my weary muscles. It occurred to me that nothing would happen, but I refuted that thought. My mind had its doubts, perhaps, but my body knew.  
  
"So it is. Lucky us." Oh seemed sincere in that statement; they had something planned for nightfall.  
  
"Lucky you?" I laughed. "I think you'll find yourselves surprised."  
  
Oh shook his head. "Speak for yourself, child- these are simply our weak daytime forms."  
  
"And this is just my human one." He snapped to attention at that, but it was too late for any more talk. The sun disappeared, and I felt the night's cool seeping through my skin. I felt light, as if I was floating. I dunno- I might have been. A breeze stirred my hair, which had lightened from its usual black to a pure white that reflected the colors around it. I swung the Tetssaiga experimentally, and I moved so loosely, so much easier than I ever had before. It was like I had been wearing chains all my life, and had now been set free. A light magenta aura followed in the wake of my blade, and looking up, I could see Yatarra-Oh's Jaki swirling around him, and my own power swirling around me.  
  
Where the two forces met, a jagged scar opened in the air. "Kaze no Kizu," I whispered, understanding, and slashed at the mark. Tetssaiga released its energy, which swept over the stunned Naraku detachment. Suddenly, something knocked into me, hard. Tetssaiga was knocked from my grasp, and I landed a good twenty feet from it. No matter. Tensing my fingers, I felt claws slide from them, and as I grinned, I felt my teeth grow into fangs.  
  
Looking over my enemies, I saw that they had indeed changed, though perhaps not so much as I. Their skin nearly glowed, and they were all-over ablaze with a dark blue flame. Yatarra-Oh had been injured rather badly by my Kaze no Kizu, and though both looked formidable, I felt invincible. Besides, I still had my allies. Didn't I?  
  
I directed my gaze past the twin Naraku clones, and my brother wrestling with something within himself, V watching helplessly. Watching, dread swept over me, dampening my spirits. I could control this form- it felt natural to me. Brother, though. he was peaceful and calm most of the time, fighting only with just cause. The instincts--kill or be killed, strike first and question later, don't let anyone beat you no matter what it takes--these were new to him. He would be lost in self-confrontation until the Youkai instincts won, and at such time, it would be extremely difficult to stop him.  
  
Anything could trigger it, but especially being attacked. I had to keep the Yatarras from reaching him; I had to protect him. "V! Keep him sheltered!" Becoming aware of opportunity, my enemies turned, but I leapt, flipping, and landed between them and my allies. I dropped down to three limbs, keeping the fourth lifted, ready to slash out. My eyes flashed, and I had to look completely demonic.  
  
I had to fight these two alone, and I was ready and willing. 


	4. Goodbyes on both sides

Their plan was obvious now- stall until the sun set, and they achieved their night forms. No matter, though; not only was it too late, but I had transformed as well, something they hadn't counted on. Yatarra-Oh was injured and obviously weakened, from being hit dead-on by the Kaze no Kizu. While healing fast, it still slowed him down, and sapped his energy.  
  
Yatarra-Oh and Yatarra-Ah and I simply stood for a while, them regarding me, and me regarding them. Suddenly, I sprang into action, as did they, and I can't remember much of what happened. I let my instincts guide me- attack, block, counter, again. I was doing well, even against both of them at once, and they were just about ready to drop out, wait for another night, when we would be easier prey. I'm not sure how long we fought, but it occurred to me that, if we took too long, I would be back to human.  
  
Gradually, I circled around to where Tetssaiga had fallen, approaching it in a round-about way, so as not to tip off Ah and Oh. Finally, I grabbed it, and swung it around, forcing Oh to back off on the attack. Before I could pursue, however, Ah had leapt behind me, and I barely recovered from my swing quickly enough to turn and face her. I was still off-balance though, and Ah knocked me down, pinning me with my own blade. "You shouldn't have gone for it, but I knew you would. You're all so predictable." She shook her head with a sigh. "A shame, a shame."  
  
"Predict this!" Oh snarled, in my brother's voice, and suddenly it was all Ah could do to fend him off. I scrambled out of the way, and looked to where Yaruu and V stood. V shrugged, and I shrugged back, then turned back to watch the fight. Oh was obviously winning, but not easily, and only because Ah was holding back. After all, he was her ally, and she didn't wish to shoot herself in the foot by killing him. Suddenly, she fled, and Oh started to pursue, but then pulled back, struggling with something in his mind. "While he's distracted!" Yaruu commanded me, speaking through the Youkai.  
  
While worried that it might hurt my brother, to kill something he was mentally controlling somehow, I decided that he would know best. Oh made a feeble attempt to protect himself, but it wasn't enough, and he perished in the flames of a point-blank Kaze no Kizu.  
  
Sheathing Tetssaiga, I walked over to my brother's side. He had seemed to calm considerably, so I risked putting a hand on his shoulder. Instantly, his eyes snapped open, and their cold intensity shocked me. "I'm sorry it took me so long to help," he spoke. "I had to. sort a few things out, first."  
  
"I understand. We did well."  
  
He smiled- not his usual, broad grin, but a secretive smirk. "We did." We clasped hands for a moment, and I couldn't help but to challenge him.  
  
"Arm wrestle? Kick-box? Spar? Name the game, Brother." In reply, he spun about, using his grasp on my wrist to flip me over his shoulder.  
  
I did a flip in mid-air, and landed on my feet, stirring up a cloud of dust, and moved smoothly into motion, charging towards Yaruu at break-neck speed. He leapt up, trying to evade me, but I did likewise, and grabbing one of his ankles, flung him back to earth. Suddenly, I found myself held in place by a ring of ice around my middle. "Hey!" Looking down, I discovered that Yaruu was in a similar fix, and V was standing there, arms crossed.  
  
"This is neither the time nor the place for you two to be fighting."  
  
"Aw, come on, you know we won't hurt each other or anything." I did my best to wiggle out of the ice ring, but failing that, strained to just break it instead. Finally, it shattered, and I fell to earth.  
  
"Yeah, but in the mean-time, we're going to lose all hope of catching up with Yatarra-Ah." I sighed, and looked about.  
  
"Which way did she go?"  
  
"That way," V pointed, and realized just as I did- "Back towards the village."  
  
"Shit." Without another word, Yaruu and I took off running, and V followed.  
  
**********************************  
  
Yatarra-Ah strode through the village angrily, ignoring the people around her. That cursed Inu-Yasha's family held the old woman there in high esteem; well, Ah would make her talk. Her brother was all she had, all she had ever had, from the first day their eyes had opened. How dare that brat control him, force him to fight her. He had always been the weaker of the two; they should have taken her instead. She could have fought it easier, shook it off quicker. Yatarra-Ah did not doubt that he was now dead.  
  
There- that was the house where the old woman lived. Ah flung the door open, and stepped inside, glaring about at the inhabitants. They had obviously been expecting her, but that was to be expected. She knew her Jaki to be quite strong.  
  
"Sit down, little fox, I'm not here for you. I just need to speak to the old lady."  
  
We dashed into the village, following the sense that hung about the remaining Yatarra. It led us to Kaede's house.  
  
************************************  
  
I burst in, followed by Yaruu and V, quickly assessing the situation. The human part of me wanted to cry out, but the other half held me back. *No one must hear me cry; it is weak.* Kaede lay slain, and Shippo was unconscious, badly wounded. Sango and Miroku were held to the wall by squirming black youkai with long bodies and longer tails and six legs each. "Yatarra." The Youkai turned slightly, unconcerned by my presence.  
  
"You made it, how wonderful. You probably didn't even take the time to bury my brother properly." Her voice sounded dead, and something in me pitied her, regretted what we had done. I would rather die than be unable to prevent Yaruu's death; did this Youkai feel the same way? *Hush. She has murdered Kaede and countless other helpless humans. Both she and Oh knew the risk when they entered the battle. We defeated him fairly.* Or did we? I shook my head clear of such thoughts. *One cannot pity their enemy, it makes them weak.*  
  
"That is your job, assuming you survive this encounter. If not, well, I suppose we could fetch his body, bury you together." Yatarra-Ah snarled, and held up one palm. A small fire danced within it, and I gestured to the door. "Let's finish this; outside. Walls aren't conducive to either of our styles."  
  
"Why don't we wait until tomorrow night?" She tilted her head and tried to look pitiful, but her cruel, flat voice undermined her efforts. "Give me time to mourn my unfortunate brother."  
  
"But if we do this tonight, you'll be joining him sooner," I offered.  
  
"Forget it." She tossed the fire at a wall. "Enjoy saving your friends, I'll see you later." Thinking fast, V froze the wood around the fire, so it couldn't spread, and crept the ice in on it, slowly putting it out. Yaruu and I pulled the black youkai off of Sango and Miroku, and I found it both humorous and appalling that Yaruu sank his teeth into the one off of Sango, killing it that way. I just twisted the neck of Miroku's, then tossed it out the window.  
  
"You two okay?" Yaruu asked them, wiping the blood from his mouth, as I extended a hand to help them up.  
  
"Well enough. I'll check on Shippo, will you two." Sango trailed of, gesturing to Kaede.  
  
I nodded. "So long as it doesn't take until sun-up, I doubt the human me could handle it." With that, I easily lifted the frail body, and headed out the door. "Yaruu, are you going to get a shovel or dig with your hands?"  
  
"Or I could just make you do it," he replied, but left, presumably to retrieve a shovel. I took the body up to the hill where-according to a village legend Kaede had never validated nor discredited-her older sister Kikyou was once buried. I figured that next to her sister's grave would be a good place. Yaruu joined me, a shovel in hand. "So what are you going to do while I slave away?"  
  
"Like it'll take a big, strong Hanyou like yourself that long to dig a freakin hole," I teased him, and he snorted. "In any case, I'll be talking to Miroku about getting a spell to guard the grave, just in case, and seeing if they need help with Shippo." He nodded, and set to digging while I headed back down. "Sis?" He asked, softly enough that I barely heard from halfway down the stairs.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Where did they put Father?" I thought a moment. I remembered that someone suggested a grave next to Kikyou's, but most said that their souls could never be at rest so close. I didn't know their history, but the belief that he wouldn't be at rest there seemed to hold majority.  
  
"I dunno. God tree, maybe?" I kept walking, acting unconcerned, but I would ask about it as soon as I could. Now that I realized that I didn't know, it weighed heavily on me. Just where was my father's grave?  
  
By the time the sun rose, everything was taken care of, and I fell asleep nearly as soon as my Hanyou strength left me. Yaruu seemed similarly exhausted, and V as well, to a lesser extent. After all, we had been awake, running around, and fighting all night, and Kaede's death weighed heavily upon us.  
  
The next morning, I was the first of us three to wake, and sat for a time, staring into the fire. Where was Yatarra and what was she up to? What should we do now? Finally, I decided that at least one of us should go back, inform Mom of what was going on, and pick up more supplies. Also, at least one of us should stay, so that, if news of Yatarra came through, they could go inform the others right away. As the others woke up, I told them of my plan.  
  
"I'll watch here, if you'll tell mom," Yaruu offered, and I nodded. "How about you, V?"  
  
She thought a moment. "I'll see if I can get some quick projectile weapons for you two."  
  
"I've never been any good with a bow," Yaruu warned her, and I chuckled.  
  
"Neither of us are; Mom tried to teach us, but it just didn't work."  
  
"That's okay. I was thinking more along the lines of a gun. I have a friend over at the American Embassy, knows everything there is to know about guns and how to get them." V seemed amused. "Computers too; sometimes I swear that girl's a very convincing android, or some kind of technology Youkai."  
  
"Well, I'll see you later, then." She nodded, and took out the slip of paper that Tempus Vulpes' spell focused on, and ripped it in two, promptly disappearing from this time. I turned to Yaruu. "Is it just me, or is it still a little unnerving when she does that?"  
  
He nodded. "But then, we jump down a well. At least her method makes sense!" I chuckled again, shaking my head. "See ya later, Sis."  
  
"See ya, Bro." I reached the well shortly, and jumped through. Climbing out of the well on our side, I took a deep breath of fall air, laden with the smell of breakfast. Mom had probably only cooked enough for herself-we hadn't planned on being back before Sunday night, and we were certainly never early to return-but I hoped that there was some extra. "Hey, Mom! What's up?" She was sitting at the kitchen table, and nearly jumped out of her chair when I spoke.  
  
"Oh, hello, Kagomaru. What brings you back so early? Its only Saturday morning. And where's your brother?" She pushed back a chair for me, and poured another cup of tea.  
  
"Yaruu's back at the village, taking care of Shippo. He's pretty much recovered already, but Yatarra got him pretty bad."  
  
"Yatarra?"  
  
"Naraku left a pair of little presents, Yatarra-Oh and Yatarra-Ah. Oh did his best to burn down the village, and used a nice little fire-bomb on me," Mom looked concerned, so I quickly added, "but I'm okay now. Kaede," I tripped over the name a little, but went on, "decided that if we were going to be up against Naraku detachments, we should have every advantage we could get, and removed those marks on our hands."  
  
Mother nodded. "Yes, I think you're ready. Last night was the new moon, wasn't it?" I nodded. "And."  
  
"Dad would've been proud of us. I figured out the Kaze no Kizu, and Yaruu mentally controlled Yatarra-Oh, made him chase off the other one. I was able to kill him then."  
  
"That's good. And the other one?" I had finished off the tea, so she got up to fix another pot.  
  
I took a deep breath. "Went back to the village, to interrogate Kaede about us." Mom gasped, she knew what was coming. I swallowed back tears. *Don't cry. Just. don't.* "Kaede held out, so Yatarra-Ah. laid her to rest. Like I said earlier, she cut up Shippo pretty badly, too."  
  
Mom clenched her eyes shut. "Sango and Miroku?"  
  
"They're fine. Yatarra had these other Youkai working for her. They held Sango and Miroku tied."  
  
"I see. What did they look like?" I got the feeling that Mom was trying to concentrate on other things, get her mind off of Kaede.  
  
I thought a moment, remembering. "They were long black things, kindof like a tadpole, but skinnier, and with six legs."  
  
"Hm. Those sould like Kikyou's soul-stealers," she murmured, and my ears caught at the name, "but hers were white."  
  
"Mom, just who was Kikyou?" She looked out the window a moment, old pain filling her face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have."  
  
"No, its alright. Kikyou was. a very powerful Miko, the guardian of the Shikon no Tama, before me. Your father and she planned on living together, he was going to use the Shikon to become human for her."  
  
I started, staring. "What?! What happened?"  
  
"Naraku. He tricked Kikyou and your father each into believing that the other had betrayed them. He mortally wounded Kikyou, and left her to kill Inu-Yasha." I swallowed, trying to ease my dry throat. "She sealed him, to the god tree. He was stuck there, practically dead, until I came along, and released him."  
  
"And Kikyou?"  
  
"She didn't use the Shikon to heal herself, as Naraku had planned. Instead, she had it burned with her body, and Japan was free of the accursed thing for fifty years."  
  
"Then what happened?"  
  
She smiled bitterly. "I was pulled into the well by an old mononoke, that sensed the Shikon in my body." I must have looked as confused as I felt, because she elaborated, "I'm Kikyou's reincarnation, and the Shikon no Tama was reborn with me. In any case, because I got too close to that stupid well, the Shikon was brought back and caused all kinds of trouble." She looked up at me. "But then, without that, I wouldn't have you or your brother, and who knows, maybe there would still be a white-haired boy pinned to the tree out there by an arrow no one but Kikyou or I could remove."  
  
I was silent a moment, thinking. I don't think my mom had ever seemed. human. to me before-I had never really been able to see her as a teenager, lost and confused. Who can think of their mother like that? But she had been, and she had fallen in love, and had taken risks, and caused trouble, and everything had come out alright. Stunned, I walked quietly over to where Mom was taking the hot water off the stove, and hugged her. Wordlessly, she set down the kettle, and put her arms around me. "You've had such a hard night, why don't you get some sleep while you're here?"  
  
I shook my head, pulling away. "No, I don't want to leave Yaruu too long, and we did get some sleep." She sighed, and pointed at the table. I sat down obediently, and she began rummaging in the fridge.  
  
"At least eat something then, and I'll pack some to take back to Yaruu. Is Vulpes there also?" She paused a moment. "I should probably send food for Sango and Miroku and Shippo, too." I smiled. That was Mom-always taking care of everyone.  
  
*********************************  
  
Vulpes looked at the slick pistol in her hands, turning it over judgmentally. "What do you think?" the American girl at the table across from her asked. "It shoots very smooth, and its ammo is cheap."  
  
"What about accuracy; is it easy to hit the target?" The girl grabbed the gun by the handle, turned in her chair, fired it, and glared at the target hanging on the fence, a good three hundred yards away. The bullet hole was at the top edge of the bullseye. "Seems to aim a tad high; I can get that fixed if you want."  
  
V blinked. "I think its close enough. Do you have two?"  
  
"Getting one for a friend? Sure, why not, just don't break the law or anything, 'kay?"  
  
"Deal. What do I need to get ya for payment?"  
  
The girl thought a moment. "Tell me why you need guns all of a sudden, and I'll see what we can come up with." After listening intently as V told her the whole situation-it wouldn't do any good to lie. The girl was excellent at detecting lies. "Truly?" V nodded. "Awesome! Tell you what; one rare coin from the feudal era should cover the cost of both pistols and plenty of ammo." V grinned.  
  
"Just so happens I should be able to come up with one." The two shook hands.  
  
"Always good doing business with ya, V."  
  
"And with you, Lupin."  
  
**********************************  
  
Yaruu was sitting just outside town, looking down at the people rebuilding their homes again. He had offered to help, but people didn't trust them much--V, his sister, and him. Well, they trusted them, they just. didn't think of them as people, so much as town watchdogs. Useful, certainly, and mostly trustworthy, but still dangerous. No one but his mother's friends could carry on a conversation with the three of them. "It's like no one realizes that they can talk about normal, every-day things with us. I wonder if Dad ever had this problem," he murmured to himself.  
  
"He probably would've, if he had ever tried talking to people," a thin voice told him in reply, and Yaruu looked around frantically for its source. "Down here!" He looked down, and finally caught sight of the speaker-a very small, very old insect. A flea, perhaps? It cleared its throat. "Unfortunately, Master Inu-Yasha never figured out that he could talk to humans besides your mother and the others they traveled with." The flee hopped up to his shoulder. "Can't say I much blame him, though. He had a hard childhood. Hard life entire, really."  
  
"I. see. Uh, how do you know my Dad?" Yaruu tilted his head at an odd angle, trying to look at the one he was talking. He left off the question 'And just how are you talking,' figuring that the flee was probably a Youkai. A flea Youkai. it was pathetic, really.  
  
"Oh, pardon me for not introducing myself. I am Myokoji-loyal servant of your family. Just where is your father, anyways? I haven't been able to find him since I came back from my vacation."  
  
Yaruu turned back to face the village again, sighing. "Dead and gone, I'm afraid."  
  
"What? Oh, no, that can't be right. Are you certain he was. dead?" Yaruu narrowed his eyes, and flicked the flee off of his shoulder.  
  
"Quite." He stood, and began walking back to the village, one hand in his pocket, the other fingering the Shikon no Tama, on its chain around his neck.  
  
"Wait!" The flee-Myokoji-called after him, hopping as fast as he could to keep up. "I have very important news for you!" Begrudgingly, Yaruu slowed, allowing the old flee to land on his sleeve, and climb up to his shoulder again. It huffed a moment, trying to catch its breath. "Whew! Be kind to a very old man, will you?" it muttered, adding something about the whole family line being very disrespectful, nearly earning another flick.  
  
"You said you brought news?" Yaruu continued walking back to the house, where Sango and Miroku were packing their things. They had decided that they could not stay there, where they had been unable to prevent Kaede's death.  
  
"Right." It cleared its throat again. "Your uncle, Sesshoumaru, has asked that you go to Koketsu* Valley as soon as possible." Yaruu nodded. Sango was just coming out of the house, all of her belongings strapped to Hiraikotsu, making it quite impossible to use. She did a bit of a double take at hearing Mykoji's voice, then smiled.  
  
"You're finally back, I see. Bearing bad news as always, I presume?"  
  
Yaruu chuckled. "Probably. Sesshoumaru has requested to see me, and from listening to Dad talk about his brother, I doubt it's just an innocent family reunion." Sango nodded.  
  
"I have to agree; Sesshoumaru was never my favorite person to deal with. That girl that followed him around was pretty cute, though. What was her name?"  
  
Miroku was just coming out of the house, bundle tied to his back. "Rin, I believe. I wonder what ever became of her?"  
  
"Who knows?" Yaruu shrugged. "Any idea where 'Koketsu Valley' is?"  
  
Myokoji cleared his throat for a third time, perturbed at being forgotten. "I can lead you right to it, of course."  
  
"Only if no danger comes up, though, right? We wouldn't want to put you in harms way," Miroku laughed. "Really, Yaruu, it is a pretty good idea that Myokoji goes with you. That way, you'll know if you're ever really in trouble, just because he won't be there anymore." Yaruu smiled. Now that he thought about it, he did remember his Dad telling some stories about a cowardly flea.  
  
"You people have no respect," Myokoji lamented. "In any case, we should leave right away; we wouldn't want to keep your Uncle waiting."  
  
"Sure, sure, Naraku can wait," Yaruu replied sarcastically.  
  
"Naraku? But. your father defeated Naraku a good many years ago." The flea looked frantically from Yaruu to Sango and Miroku, then back to Yaruu. "Right?"  
  
"Most of him. Unfortunately, Naraku left a pair of detachments behind, hidden somewhere. We've taken care of one already, but we still have to contend with the other."  
  
Myokoji "Hm"ed a moment. "Well, if you aren't sure of where it is, it might pay to go see what Sesshoumaru wants. He is a good person to have owing you a favor," he hinted, and Yaruu sighed.  
  
"Fine, whatever. Kagomaru should be back soon." Yaruu turned his gaze to the forest. "V, too, I hope."  
  
"Ah, yes, I remember your sister now. my, though, you were both so very small when I saw you last. but who is this 'V' person? Not another sibling, I hope?"  
  
"Not really, but might as well be." Yaruu's lips formed the ghost of a smile. "Resembles the rest of us enough."  
  
Myokoji "hm"ed again, and Yaruu wondered what was going on in that tiny little brain.  
  
* Koketsu means "dangerous place" 


End file.
